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Criterion for applying variable substitution

The following enumerates a few of the points to be considered when designing a variable substitution scheme.

  1. Minimize the number of levels of substitution. Ideally this should not be more than [tex2html_wrap5808].
  2. Avoid unnecessary substitutions. In eq:integral, substituting a variable for the entire right-hand side is redundant.
  3. Use a complexity measure that determines when an expression is sufficiently complex to warrant variable substitution. This measure should capture the following properties of an expression:
    1. Complexity of a math object considered by itself.
    2. Relative complexity of an expression with respect to its parent.



TV Raman
Thu Mar 9 20:10:41 EST 1995